The Irish standard., 1887-06-04

$3.50 PER YEAR.
wonderful troutlets-they we're GER
tainly there at that time, looked quite
unspiritual, and, for anything that 1
know to the contrary, may be still there
visible in the body. Then who docs
not recollect Sam Lovers story of the
enchanted trouts within that deep,
steep, and weird depression in the lime
stone. called the ''Pigeon Hole"
situated about mile from Cong, county
Galway? Tober MONAGHAN, in the
townland of Ballymoreigh, and parish
of Dingle, county Kerry, is supposed to
contain an eel and salmon. The latter,
of course, must be considered as a
myth. Perhaps trout may have been
magni6ed into salmon through imag-
nations greedy for wonder.
need not here refer to other alleged
fish preserving founts occurring in Ire
land, but may add that a we'll COM
monty called Jacobs Welr' formerly
existed on che roadside between Monks
town and Kingstown. Its site is still
indicated by a small recess in wall
which bounds the eastern side
of the road. I distinctly re-
member having been informed by some
old residents in the vicinity that it's
water contained mysterious and sa-
cred trout.
In several parts of the East are holy
ponds containing fishes which are ven
Grated as sanity creatures. The fol-
lowing lines are taken from the 'sFam-
lily Reader for the week ending No
vember 1, 1879: "Near Tripoli there is
what IS called a convent for sacred
fishes. 1t is large building with a
snow-white dome, and agreatsycamore
tree stands by the side of a crystal pool
of water. Here may be seen crowd Of
Moslem boys who have come from
Tripoli to feed the sacred fish and to-
play on the green lawn. The old Sheik:
who keeps the place has much faith in
the fish. He says they are all good
Moslems, and are inhabited by the
souls of Moslem saints.''
There can be no question, as I have
already intimated, that well-worsnip in
Ireland, as in Great Britain, existed in
pagan times. The reason for the con-
tinued, though, in character, utterly
changed veneration for many wells
found in Ireland, has been very happily
explained by DR.. Joyce in his invalu-
able work on Irish Place Names.
'After the general spread of the
Faith, the peoples affection was not
only retained but intensified, for most
of the early preachers of the Gospel
their humble foundations-many of
them destined to grow in after years
into great religious and educational in
stitutions-besides these foundations,
whose waters at the same time supplied
the daily wants of the little communi-
ties, and served for the baptism of con-
verts. In this manner most of our
early saints became associated with
wells, hundreds of which still retain
the names of the holy men who con-
verted and baptised the Pagan multi
tudes on their margins"
Such was, and in many instances still
is, the character of our sacred wells.
It has been recorded that before the
seventh century there existed a priory
at Kilmainham, which establishment
was presided over by st. Magnend (who
was probably its founder), 606. The
name Kil.nainham is derived from the
Irish word Gill, and Magnend, the
patronymic OF the Saint. AS has been
stated in former article, the site of
"Kilmagnend" was, in 1174, transferred
by Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, to
Knights Templars. No doubt the we'll
here which in after ages became ia
nous for the stations held at it was ORR
ginally dedicated to St. Magnend. The
Hospitallers by whom the Templars
were succeeded, would naturally call
the font St. John, after their own pa
tron saint-hence it's present name.
| 4uC WO1l 0O1l1 OA10CS. C1uu L4dy NO S00A
near the termination of St. Johns
road, close to Kilmainham. It has in
modern times been covered and enclosed
by small structure of stone and brick,
1t was, down to a comparatively recent
period. the most famous of our sacred
Dublin wells, and was largely visited
by Pilgrims on St. Johns Day. For
the accommodation of visitors consid-
erable number of tents used to be
pitched in it's Immediate vicinity, so
that the scene almost represented
fair. This was perhaps only to be ex-
pected in the neighborhood of a city of
the size of Dublin, and containing a
very mixed population. Abuses crept
in, and, at length the immemorial Sta
tion'' was looked upon with disfavor by
nearly all the Catholic clergymen of the
diocese, and by others who had at heart
the interest of the people. Neverthe-